In August 2021, The River Fire scorched over 2,600 acres, including more than 4 river miles of the Bear River watershed in Nevada and Placer counties, California. NID owns approximately 320 acres within the 2,600 acres that the wildfire scorched, which includes over 4 river miles of the Bear River watershed. NID has treated 80 acres in the fall of 2021 and has partnered with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to complete an additional 150 acres of post-wildfire remediation and forest thinning on NID lands. Critical water infrastructure, including the Bear River Canal (PGE and Placer County Water Agency), Lake of the Pines Water Treatment Plant, two hydroelectric facilities at Rollins and Combie Dams, and associated conveyance canals are supported by the Bear River system.  This area is also immediately adjacent to densely populated communities in Nevada and Placer counties, including Lake of the Pines, Alta Sierra, Weimar, Colfax and Chicago Park.

NID PARTNERS WITH THE SIERRA NEVADA CONSERVANCY TO RECEIVE $570,000 TO RESTORE 150 ACRES WITHIN THE RIVER FIRE BURN SCAR.

Wildfire patterns have grown in size and severity in California, and wildfire recovery can often happen on a scale of hundreds of years. We are observing an increasing potential for less frequent, and more intense precipitation events during this recovery that can cause massive erosion. NID will implement treatments including removal of standing dead vegetation and mastication of unburned portions of the property to significantly reduce the recovery time and to further protect the water system and adjacent communities that are still threatened by the dense vegetation on the edge of the Bear River canyon. This project will focus on Nevada County’s estimated population of 99,000 people and the adjacent at-risk communities of Colfax, North Auburn (identified as Disadvantaged Communities) and residences nearby.